Fix You
by SparklingFlames
Summary: When the Marauders see Lily's boyfriend with another girl, James tries to tell her. Who knew that the end of her current relationship would spark her relationship with James. Songfics. Previously a oneshot.
1. Fix You

Sixteen year old James Potter sat in the Gryffindor common room with his best friends Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew carefully planning out their latest prank on none other than Severus Snape. 

"Why don't we spill some Polyjuice Potion into his pumpkin juice, turn him into a girl.." Peter suggested.  
James rolled his eyes.

"You think too small, Wormtail," Sirius scoffed as he flicked Peter's nose, "besides, if I were turned into a chick for an hour, I'd stand in the mirror, checking out her chest."  
Peter sunk down in his seat as James chuckled with laughter.

"Hey, isn't Davy Gudgeon dating Lily?" Remus asked, looking up from his book. James' laughter stopped abruptly. 

"Yes," he replied, grudgingly, as he turned his attention to Remus, "Why?"  
Remus motioned over to the far corner of the common room, where James could see the Gryffindor in question snogging a girl who was quite obviously not Lily.

_**When you try your best, but you don't succeed  
When you get what you want, but not what you need  
When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep  
Stuck in reverse**_

"That son of a.." James trailed off as he rose from his seat with his fist clenched so tightly that his knuckles were beginning to turn white. As he started to walk towards the snogging couple, he felt his body suddenly jerk back into his seat.

"What are you doing?" James asked Sirius, who was holding James' wrist.

"Don't, Prongs." James saw a smirk slowly form on his friend's face.

"What the hell, Padfoot?" He grunted as he attempted to free himself from Sirius' grip.

"Instead of beating the snot out of Gudgeon, tell Lily. You'll break them up, and gain her trust."  
James slowly calmed down his effort to get Sirius to release him as his words sunk in. He looked over at Davy, then to Sirius, then back at Davy, again. A smile spread across his lips as he jerked his hand out of Sirius' grip, jumped out of his seat, and darted out the room.

Remus' stomach began to turn at the thought of his friends' plan. He knew that this couldn't end well

"Sirius, what have you done?"

_**And the tears come streaming down your face  
When you lose something you cant replace  
When you love someone but it goes to waste  
Could it be worse?**_

As James sprinted down the hall, he realized he left the Marauder's Map in the boy's dormitory. Deciding he was too excited to go all the way back for it, he began looking everywhere he could possibly think of for Lily. He was about to give up and go back for the map when he spotted Frank Longbottom and his girlfriend Alice sitting in the back of the library. Alice looked up from her book, feeling his eyes on her.

"Excuse me, have you seen Lily?"

"Leave her alone, James." Alice replied, turning her attention back to her book. She knew his reputation all too well.

"Please, Alice. It's important!" James begged.

"She's down by the lake."

"Thank you!" James exclaimed as he ran out of the library as quickly as he had entered.

Alice elbowed her boyfriend in the stomach, "Frank!"

"Umph!" Frank grunted, "What? He said it was important!"

_**Lights will guide you home  
And ignite your bones  
And I will try to fix you**_

As James stepped outside, he felt the bright sunshine hit his face. It was so bright that he had to squint against it, making his search for Lily even more difficult. He eventually spotted her, despite the sunlight, sitting with her back against a large tree, with an open book in her lap.

_**High up above or down below  
When you're too in love to let it go  
If you never try, you'll never know  
Just what you're worth**_

James stopped in his tracks and watched her. Her red hair was tied up, except for a few strands in the front that were too short to stay in place and were hanging in front of her eyes. He smiled as she tucked the strands behind her ear and turned the page, only to find them to fall back in front of her face, again. She sighed in frustration and tucked them behind once more. James slowly approached her.

"Lily?"  
"Goodbye, James" She replied, without looking up from her book.  
"Lily, I need to speak with you."  
"That's just too bad isn't it?"  
"Please?" 

Lily heard the sincerity in his voice that caused her to sigh and close her book. She looked up at him for the first time since he approached her.  
"Alright, what is it?"

James sat down next to her and sighed, not knowing how to say what he saw.  
"James?"  
"Okay, I was sitting in the common room with the Marauders and we saw Davy snogging Allison Brody."  
"James, that's not funny," She scoffed as she opened her book, realizing that she should have known better than to trust him.  
"Lily, I'm not kidding. I'm sorry."  
Lily slammed her book closed again, "James, stop! That's low, even for you."  
"Lily.."  
"Stop it!" She screamed. Lily collected her things and stormed off. James remained sitting there wondering how it possibly could have backfired on him.

_**Lights will guide you home  
And ignite your bones  
And I will try to fix you**_

Later that night, Lily and Davy were sitting in the Great Hall, eating dinner.

"I heard the funniest thing today, Hun. James Potter told me he saw you snogging Allison Brody. Isn't that ridiculous?" Lily laughed as she reached for a slice of bread.

"Of course it is, baby" Davy laughed as he kissed her cheek, "You know you're the only one for me. Lily smiled with satisfaction and glanced over towards the other end of the Gryffindor table, where James was sitting. They made eye contact for a moment, before James looked down at his plate. By the time James looked back up at her, her attention was already back at Davy.

_**Tears stream down your face  
When you lose something you cannot replace  
Tears stream down your face  
And I…  
**_

Lily sighed in content, James was wrong. She didn't know why she had even given his accusation a second thought. She turned to Davy and smiled.

"So, babe, how was your--" and that was when she saw a red smudge on his left earlobe,

"Davy, what's that?" 

"What's what?" he asked, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice. 

"That," Lily said, pointing to his ear, "What is it?"

"What?" Davy touched his ear, confused. He looked down at the red smudge that was now on his finger, "Oh, that. That's paint." Lily rolled her eyes in disbelief.

"That doesn't look like paint, it looks like.." she trailed off, grabbing his hand and pulling it closer to her face so she could get a better look, "..lipstick." Her heart dropped.

"He was telling the truth, wasn't he?"

"What are you talking about, baby?"

"James. He was right, wasn't he?" She demanded.

"Lily.."

"Wasn't he?!"

Davy stared at her in shock, "Baby, don't be ridiculous."

"'Ridiculous'? I'm being ridiculous?" Lily exclaimed in disbelief.

"Yes, Lily, you are," Davey replied, taking a bite of his corn.

Lily slammed her hands on the table, lifted herself out of her seat and stormed out of the Great Hall. 

_**Tears stream down your face  
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes  
Tears stream down your face  
And I…  
**_

"Hey Prongs,"

"Hmm?" James looked up, his mouth full of mashed potatoes.

"I think she knows, now," Sirius replied, motioning towards Lily as she stormed out of the Great Hall. 

James jumped out of his seat and walked out. He realized this time he should get the map, so he began walking towards the common room. As he was walking through the halls, he began contemplating what he would say to her, he didn't want to further upset her. He approached the portrait leading the Gryffindor common room, and muttered the password, "Chocolate Frogs".

He then realized that he would no longer need the map because he had already found her, in the empty common room, sitting in front of the fire, crying. He slowly approached her, still unsure of what to say.

Before he had the chance to say anything, Lily looked up, acknowledging his presence.

"I'm not in the mood, Potter," She stood up, wiping the tears from her eyes.

James didn't move, didn't say anything, he didn't even acknowledge that he heard her.

"Please leave me alone," she sniffled.

James finally moved. He took one step, not away from her, but towards her, closing the small gap between them.

"James, what are you-- " James wrapped his arms around her and pulled her towards him into a hug. She struggled to get out of his grip before sighing in defeat. She relaxed into the hug, and put her head on his shoulder, wetting his shirt with her tears.

_**Lights will guide you home  
And ignite your bones  
And I will try to fix you**_

"Please just don't say 'I told you so,'" She struggled through her tears.

"Shh," he replied calmly, stroking her hair, "Never."


	2. You Set Me Free

A/N: I didn't expect as many replies on a one-shot as I recieved, so I decided to continue with it. As always, replies are appreciated. If you have any songs to suggest, please do. I'll try to fit them in if I can. And about 'Everything's Not Lost', I'm going to try to fit that in a bit later.

Three weeks had passed since the day Lily and Davy had broken up. Since then, Davy and Allison had begin dating, to Lily's disgust. She was, however, beginning to move on from him and what had happened. She and James had even become quite close during those three weeks that had passed, so close that she actually considered him a friend. What surprised her most about their newly formed friendship was that he hadn't asked her out once.

_**Can't you see? **_

_**There's a feeling that's come over me **_

_**Close my eyes **_

_**You're the only one that leaves me completely breathless **_

This particular Saturday, they were sitting in the Three Broomsticks, drinking butterbeer and enjoying each other's company.

"Are you going to the Quidditch game tomorrow?" James asked, taking a sip of his butterbeer. He was one of the Gryffindor chasers.

"I wasn't planning on it, I'm not much of a Quidditch fan."

"You don't like it at all, not even the slightest bit?"

"I wouldn't know, I've never been to a game," She admitted, shyly.

"Are you serious?!" James exclaimed, in shock, "You've got to be kidding!"

Lily shook her head, "It never appealed to me. Besides, when everyone's gone, the common room is empty. It's a nice time to catch up on reading."

"I can't believe that you'd rather read a book than watch a game of Qudditch." She shrugged.

"You need to come to the game tomorrow," he demanded.

"I'll think about it."

"Oh, come on, Lily," He begged, "Please?"

"I'll try."

"Lily.." James started.

"Alright!" she sighed, defeated, "I'll go."

"Good girl," He grinned.

"You must be pleased with yourself."

As James nodded in amusement, Lily crumbled a napkin into a ball and threw it across the table, at him. He stuck his tongue out in reply. She laughed and rolled her eyes.

_**No need to wonder why **_

_**Sometimes a gift like this you can't deny**_

James grinned and ran his hand through his hair, ruffling it.

"Why do you do that?" Lily asked. She always got annoyed when she saw him ruffle his hair, and he had done it for as long as she could remember knowing him.

James shrugged in reply, "Because girls like it?" Lily raised an eyebrow.

"I don't."

"Liar. You love it, you know it."

Lily shook her head, "No. it's different when it's natural, but when you intentionally mess your hair up.."

"Ah, but you admit it." James replied, smugly, as he finished his butterbeer,

"Admit what?"

"You like it when it's messy."

"No, I didn't say.. I said.. Wait, what?" James chucked with amusement.

"Ow!" He exclaimed as she reached across the table to whack him across the back of his head. She giggled as he rubbed his head in pain.

'_**Cause I wanted to fly **_

_**So you gave me your wings **_

_**And time held it's breath so I could see **_

_**And you set me free **_

"Hey, may I ask you something?" she wondered, as the pain in his head subsided.

"Yeah, go ahead"

"Why did you stop asking me out?"

James looked at her, confused, "Are you complaining?"

"No. I was just.. curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat, you know."

"Why, James?" she repeated, ignoring his comment.

"Because we're friends."

"And that's all it took?"

He shrugged, "I realized that I'd rather be friends than nothing at all." Lily smiled.

James began to tense up, looking behind her.

"Don't turn around," he warned, causing her to turn on reflex.

"I hate him," she replied, referring to Davy, who had just entered with a particularly giggly Allison clinging to his left arm.

"You want to get out of here?" James offered, realizing that Davy was glaring at them. Lily nodded desperately and stood up. James got up as well, placed a couple of sickles on the table and led her out.

_**There's a will **_

_**There's a way **_

_**Sometimes words just can't explain **_

_**This is real, I'm afraid **_

_**I guess this time there's just no hiding, fighting **_

_**You make me restless **_

They stepped outside into the early winter air, cold enough to make Lily shudder. James immediately removed his cloak and held it out for her. Lily smiled, surprised.

"Thank you," she said, gratefully, "but won't you be cold?"

James shook his head, "Take it."

"Thank you."

As they began to walk, James looked around. There was almost no one outside beside him and Lily, he figured it was due to the cold air.

_**You're in my heart **_

_**The only light that shines **_

_**There in the dark **_

Sirius Black walked down the road in Hogsmeade, looking for James, when he finally spotted him with Lily. Realizing he could have a lot of fun with them, he stopped and looked around, making sure that no one was watching him. After he had made sure that it was clear, he transformed into a black, scruffy dog. Once completely transformed, he ran in front of the couple. James recognized him immediately.

"Oh, look. A dog," he said, unenthusiastically.

"Aww, he's so adorable!" Lily exclaimed, bending down to scratch Sirius behind the ear, causing him to emit a bark of satisfaction.

"I think he's rather ugly," James laughed. Sirius growled, showing his teeth, to which James rolled his eyes.

"Don't be so cruel, James."

'_**Cause I wanted to fly **_

_**So you gave me your wings **_

_**And time held it's breath so I could see, yeah **_

_**And you set me free **_

Sirius jumped up on his hind legs and bit the green scarf that was hanging around Lily's neck, pulling it off as he landed. He began wagging it around, playfully.

"Hey!" Lily cried, reaching for the moving scarf. Sirius, knowing he was too quick, continued teasing her. James chucked, watching his friends.

"James, help me!" Lily begged, reaching for it once more.

"Alright, Alright."

Sirius, knowing well enough that his friend was fast enough to take it from him, began to run in the opposite direction, closely followed by James and Lily.

_**When I was alone **_

_**You came around **_

_**When I was down **_

_**You pulled me through **_

_**And there's nothing that **_

_**I wouldn't do for you **_

Sirius got as far as the fence in front of the shrieking shack before James caught up with him and began tugging at the scarf hanging out of his mouth. Sirius yanked it out of James' grip as Lily caught up with them. Sirius walked over to her and placed it at her feet, giving her, what she would have guessed to be, a smile.

"We should start heading back," Lily stated, looking at her watch, as she bent down to retrieve her scarf and wrapped it around her neck. James wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they began to walk back, Sirius in tow. With his best friend at one side, and Lily at his other, James realized he could easily get used to this.

_**Cause I wanted to fly **_

_**So you gave me your wings **_

_**And time held its breath so I could see, yeah **_

_**And you set me free**_


	3. Wonderwall

Two days later, Lily entered the Gryffindor common room with Remus after a particularly boring Potions class.

"Ugh!" Lily sighed, relaxing on the couch, "I'm exhausted."

"Lily?" Remus asked, joining her.

"Hmm?"

"What's going on with you and James?"

"Nothing, we're friends," she replied, remembering their conversation from the other day.

"I thought you hated him," Remus wondered.

"I did," she answered, after a long pause, "he just turned out to be..."

"Different?" he finished.

_**Today is gonna be the day **_

_**That they're gonna throw it back to you **_

_**By now, you should've somehow **_

_**Realized what you gotta do **_

_**I don't believe that anybody **_

_**Feels the way I do **_

_**About you now**_

"Yes. I don't... I don't know," Lily sighed.

"Just don't hurt him, okay?" He warned.

Lily stared at him, confused.

"You're worried about _me _hurting _him _?"

Remus nodded in reply.

"How could I possibly?"

"He's liked you for so long, Lily. I can't imagine him just… stopping all of a sudden, just because you're friends."

"He never liked me, Remus," she argued.

"What are you talking about?" Remus asked, confused, "You know he's crazy about you."

"James is not crazy about me," she rolled her eyes, "you know how he is – how they both are, James and Sirius – I was just one of the few girls he couldn't get."

"No, Lily," Remus replied, defending his friend, "I understand that with James' reputation it may seem that way, but you should hear him, Lily. You should hear the way he talks about you. Don't hurt him."

"I'm not going to hurt him," she sighed, unconvinced.

Lily picked up her potions book, "We should get started."

Remus nodded in agreement.

As they started their homework, Lily tried to keep her focus on her Potions essay, but, for some reason, her mind kept wandering to James and what Remus had said.

_**Backbeat the word is on the street **_

_**That the fire in your heart is out **_

_**I'm sure you've heard it all before **_

_**But you never really had a doubt **_

_**I don't believe that anybody **_

_**Feels the way I do **_

_**About you now **_

James and Sirius were sitting in the Boy's Dormitory. They had decided to be lazy and skip their last class.

"What's the deal with you and Evas?" he asked.

James shrugged, resting his head on his pillow, "we're friends."

"You're just going to leave it like that, after three years? Are you mad?!" Sirius exclaimed, chucking one of his rather large pillows at James, causing him to emit a sound similar to "Umph!"

"That was uncalled for," James complained, tossing the pillow back at his friend, who ducked it, causing it to nearly knock over a lamp. They both chuckled.

"I don't know," James replied, finally acknowledging Sirius' question, "Being friends is better than having her hate me, isn't it?"

"You're losing it, Prongs." Sirius stated, slapping his forehead in frustration.

"I just don't want her to start hating me again."

"So go about it differently," Sirius suggested, matter-of-factly.

"I don't know," James thought, "How?"

"You're James Potter! You're a marauder! Figure it out!" Sirius exclaimed, disappointed in his friend's lack of creativity.

_**And all the roads we have to walk are winding **_

_**And all the lights that lead us there are blinding **_

_**There are many things that I **_

_**Would like to say to you **_

_**But I don't know how**_

James groaned and pulled his comforter over his head, unsure of what to do. In his mind, he knew that there were only two options; either leave things as they are and hope something develops between them over time, or continue asking her out, and risk losing her forever.

He realized he didn't quite have the patience for the first option, and groaned under his comforter once more.

_**Because maybe **_

_**You're gonna be the one that saves me **_

_**And after all **_

_**You're my wonderwall **_

An hour later, James made his way up to the Owlry, still thinking about Lily. He realized that he would just have to be as patient as he could be, and be grateful to have her in his life someway. In the meantime, he would have to move on. Perhaps he could even move on completely, and fall for someone else.

'Doubtful,' he thought to himself.

His thoughts were immediately interrupted when he bumped into Caitlin Abbott on the staircase.

"Umph!" James exclaimed, as Caitlin's books feel to the floor. They landed with a loud 'thump'.

"I'm sorry, " she apologized, as the both reached for the fallen items.

"No, it was my fault," he replied as he handed two of her books back.

Caitlin was a fairly small 6th year Hufflepuff, the same age as James. She had black hair, brown eyes, and was definitely what James would consider attractive.

"Thank you."

She took the books from him, and began to walk away. Suddenly, an idea popped into James' head, causing a smile to form across his face.

"Caitlin?"

_**Today was gonna be the day **_

_**But they'll never throw it back to you **_

_**By now you should've somehow **_

_**Realized what you're not to do **_

_**I don't believe that anybody **_

_**Feels the way I do **_

_**About you now**_

Lily sat at the base of the same large tree she had been sitting at three weeks ago, the day her friendship with James had started. She had always loved that tree, ever since a particularly difficult day in first year. It was large enough to comfortably support her back as she leaned against it, and its leaves were arranged in a way that gave her shadow from the sun, but let enough light in for her to read.

It was her sanctuary from everything going on around her, and she loved it.

Her thoughts were still on James, and she wondered if she should finally give him the chance that he had already proven he had deserved. He had acted more than civilized during the past three weeks, comforting her when she needed it. He had been a true friend, with the exception of the few pranks he had pulled with the help of Sirius. Even so, he had ended up being different than what she had expected. It was then that she decided to give him a chance. She figured that they could always go back to being friends if it didn't work.

_**I said maybe **_

_**You're gonna be the one that saves me **_

_**And after all **_

_**You're my wonderwall**_

She sighed, content with her decision, and open the book that was rested in her lap. Ten minutes, four pages, and twelve lines later, James walked up to her, stuffing the Marauders' Map into his back pocket. He looked genuinely excited.

"James," she smiled, closing her book as she sat down beside her, "just the person I wanted to see."

"I wanted to see you, too. I need to tell you something."

"Oh, okay, then. You go first." She offered, adjusting her back against the tree in a way that allowed her to face him.

"Well, I spoke to Remus earlier, and he told me what you guys were talking about. I just wanted to let you know that you don't have to worry about me asking you out anymore. I've decided that it's time for me to move on, which is why I've asked Caitlin Abbott out. You and I can just focus on being friends," he smiled.

She stared at him for a moment, in shock.

"You okay?" he asked, concerned.

"I.. yeah," she replied, "Yeah, I'm fine. I just.. wasn't expecting that."

James laughed, "Okay, it's your turn."

"Oh!" Lily exclaimed, "I'm sorry, I completely forgot what I was going to say."

"Okay," he replied, chuckling, "I've got to go. Quidditch practice. I'll see you at dinner?"

She nodded as he leaned over to give her a hug. As he pulled away, he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then got up and headed towards the Quidditch pitch.

Lily sighed as a feeling washed over her, which she quickly recognized. It was a feeling that James had never made her feel before.

It was jealousy.

_**I said maybe **_

_**You're gonna be the one that saves me **_

_**You're gonna be the one that saves me **_

_**You're gonna be the one that saves me**_

A/N: I appreciate all the replies. I had some awesome suggestions, which I'll try to use later on in the story, depending on if and when they fit in.


	4. Linger

"How could he ask Caitlin Abbott?" Lily asked, groaning in frustration. She was back in the Girl's Dormitory with Alice, after a particularly disappointed dinner, during which she was forced to watch James chat up his newest girl.

"Jealous, Lily?" Alice asked, flipping through _Hogwarts: A History _.

"I am not jealous," she scoffed, "I just don't understand it."

Alice sighed as she rose from her back to join Lily on hers.

"What don't you understand, Lils? It's James Potter. That's what he does."

"It's different, Alice," Lily replied, lying down so she could rest her head on the pillow.

"How is this possibly any different than all the other times he's hopped from girl to girl?"

Lily groaned again, "He's different than what i expected. i just.. don't understand how he could ask her out _now _. He's asked me out nearly every week for three years, and now, when I was actually--"

Lily stopped herself, putting her fingers to her lips.

"When you were actually, what?" Alice asked as she moved closer to her friend, causing Lily to shake her head, motioning the fact that she wasn't going to finish the sentance.

_**  
If you, if you could return  
Don't let it burn, don't let it fade  
I'm sure I'm not being rude  
But it's just your attitude  
It's tearing me apart,  
It's ruining everything**_

"You were going to say 'yes'!" Alice accused, "That's why you're jealous!"

"What?! I... No!" Lily exclaimed, in a way that was so defensive that it made Alice was positive she was correct.

"Lily! How could you? It's _James Potter _!" Alice continued, trying to put an emphasis on how bad he was.

"I'm well aware of who he is, Alice," she defended, pulling the pillow out from underneath her head and replacing it on top of her face as if would protect her.

"Lily!" Alice squealed as she grabbed the pillow and yanked it away.

_**I swore, I swore I would be true  
And honey, so did you  
So why were you holding her hand?  
Is that the way we stand?  
Were you lying all the time?  
Was it just a game to you?**_

"Lily.."

"I should talk to her," Lily stated, sitting up suddenly.

"What?!" Alice exclaimed,

"I should go... I should go and talk to her," she repeated, stand up to walk towards the full-sized mirror in the corner of the room.

"Lily, you're being ridiculous!" Alice argued as she followed her across the room. Lily continued getting ready, ignoring Alice's comment.

Lily began tying her hair up into a poinytail.

"Lily!" Alice repeated, sighing, "If anything-- and I can't believe I'm saying this--, you should talk to James and tell him how you feel."

Lily paused, glaring at Alice as if she had grown an extra eye in the middle of her forehead. How dare she suggest such a thing!

"I can't do that, Alice!" She exclaimed as she finally resumed fixing her hair.

"Why not?"

"He's with Caitlin," Lily repeated, for, what seemed to be, the hundredth time that night.

"We've already gone over that little fun fact, what's your point?" she asked, confused, "Like you've said. He's asked you out multiple times during the last few years, he's only been with her for the past few hours."

"Yes, and I've said no!" Lily exclaimed, setting her brush down, "I've rejected him each time. I can't tell him now. I can't have _him _reject me, after all that.

"So forget about him!"

Lily sighed, tying the rubber band into her hair, "You don't get it."

With that, she quickly walked out the door and down the stairs before Alice could say another word.

Alice collapsed on her bed in frustration.

"You're too proud for your own good, Lily," she whispered, well aware that she was already out of earshot.

_**  
But I'm in so deep  
You know I'm such a fool for you  
You got me wrapped around your finger  
Do you have to let it linger?  
Do you have to, do you have to  
Do you have to let it linger?  
**_

As Lily approached the last few steps, she looked over the banister into the Common Room, where she saw Remus and Peter, sitting by the fire, playing a game of wizard's chess, with a very uninterested Sirius watching next to them, with a bored look on his face.

"Hey!" Lily excalimed. The three boys immediately looked up at her as she stepped into the Common Room, their focus no longer on the game.

"Do you guys know where James is?" she asked as she walked toward them. As she got close, she could see that Remus was winning. His and Peter's attention quickly returned to the game as Sirius' eyes lit up with excitement, he actually had something to do.

_**Oh, I thought the world of you  
I thought nothing could go wrong  
But I was wrong  
I was wrong  
**_

"One minute," he replied as he jumped rfom his chair and ran up the stairs leading to the Boy's Dormitories. He emerged about thirty seconds later.

"He's back at the Quidditch Pitch. Probably more practice, that was an embarassing loss yesterday.."

Lily sighed, disappointed, "Do you know if Caitlin's with him?"

"Hang on," he replied, running upstairs for the second time.

"No, she's in the Hufflepuff Common Room," he stated when he came back down.

"What? How did you.." Lily began, wondering how he could possibly know that.

"Oh.. I.. Remus?" Sirius replied, nervously, looking for help. Remus looked up from the game, for only a second, to give him a look of disapprovement. Sirius realized he wasn't going to be recieving any help from his friends, and began stammering again.

Lily sighed, knowing she wasn't going to get an answer out of him anytime soon, and she had things to take care of.

_**If you, if you could get by  
Trying not to lie  
Things wouldn't be so confused  
And I wouldn't feel so used  
But you always really knew  
I just wanna be with you**_

"Nevermind."

Lily made a mental not to ask him later. She climbed out the potrait hole as she heard Remus say "checkmate" in the background.

Lily quickly made her way down random corridors, taking a left here and a right there. She didn't know exactly where she was going, she had never been to the Hufflepuff Common Room, after all.

After twenty minutes of aimless wandering, she slumped against a wall, almost eady to give up hope until she saw a first year Hufflepuff. She recognized the girl, who had blonde hair and unforgettable blue eyes, immediately. Her name was Addison.. something, she couldn't quite remember.

Lily pushed her thoughts aside as she ran to the blonde-haired girl.

"Addison!" The girl quickly turned around at the sound of her name.

"Addison, where's the Hufflepuff Common Room?"

Addison stammered for a moment, in confusion, "Why would you possibly need to know that?"

_**  
But I'm in so deep**_  
_**You know I'm such a fool for you  
You got me wrapped around your finger  
Do you have to let it linger?  
Do you have to, do you have to  
Do you have to let it linger?  
**_

Lily's frustration began to grow at Addison's lack of cooperation. Why must everyone insist on being so difficult?

"I'm a Gryffindor prefect, please do not question my motives," she replied, more forcefully than she had planned. The smaller girl looked up at Lily with fear in her eyes before replying.

"In the Entrance Hall, there's a door to the right of the main staircase, go through it and then down the flight of steps," she answered, timidly.

As Addison completed her directions, Lily began running the the opposite direction, towards the Entrance Hall, yelling a quick 'thank you' over her shoulder. She suddenly began to feel bad about being so forceful with Addison, and made another mental note, this one to remind her to apologize to Addison next time she saw her.

Within three minutes she was standing at the entrance to the Hufflepuff Common Room, suddenly realizing that she had no way to get in. She began contemplating a way to get to Caitlin, when a group of Hufflepuffs walked out.

"Hey, is Caitlin in there?" She asked. One of the three girls answered.

"Yeah, hang on, I'll get her for you."

With that, the red-headed Hufflepuff climbed back into their common room, emerging a few moments later with Caitlin by her side. The red-headed girl caught up with her friends and continued on their way.

"Lily Evans," Caitlin stated as she walked out, "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to talk to you about.. James Potter." Lily had to force his name out. She was suddenly very nervous, and she had no idea why.

_**And I'm in so deep  
You know I'm such a fool for you  
You got me wrapped around your finger  
Do you have to let it linger?  
Do you have to, do you have to  
Do you have to let it linger?**_

"James Potter?" Caitlin repeated, the conversation that she had with him just hours ago outside the Owlry ran though her mind, "What about him?"

"I.. don't know," Lily replied, realizing that she hadn't thought about what she'd say. Suddenly wishing she had listened to Alice, she began to wonder why she was always so stubborn.

"I'm sorry. I don't know why I came. It's just.. well, I was wondering, are you two together?"

"Yes," she smiled, "cute, isn't he? It's weird though, I always thought he had a thing for you."

"Yeah, me too," she muttered softly, to herself.

"Excuse me? I didn't catch that."

"Nothing," Lily responded, quickly, as she began to twirl her hair around her fingers.

"Lily, do you like him?"

She took a step back, surprised, unsure of what to say.

"Of course not!" She replied, defensively. Caitlin took a step toward her.

"Then please, inform me, Lily. Why did you come all the way down here, right before curfew, to talk about him?"

Lily began to stammer, acknowledging that Caitlin had made a very good point, "I.. uh, well.. I.. I'm sorry, Caitlin. Please don't tell him. I'm not going to act on it, don't worry."

Caitlin rested her hand on Lily's shoulder reassuringly, "Don't worry, your secret's safe with me."

Lily thanked her, apologized once more and began to walk back to the Gryffindor Common room, more disappointed than she had already been. 

_**You know I'm such a fool for you  
You got me wrapped around your finger  
Do you have to let it linger?  
Do you have to, do you have to  
Do you have to let it linger?**_

Once Caitlin was sure Lily was gone, she ran up the steps into the Entrance Hall, and outside toward the Quidditch Pitch, where she knew James would be.

She saw James walking, with his broom in hand, as she approached the pitch.

"James!" she exclaimed as she got closer to him.

"What's going on?" he asked, giving her a hug.

"I need to talk to you, it's about Lily."

**A/N: **Thanks for the replies, I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter up. As always, replies are appreciated.


	5. Your Guardian Angel

When Lily finally arrived at the Gryffindor Common Room, she climbed through the portrait hole to find Remus reading a book, and Sirius lying, upside down, on the couch with his head hanging down, and his legs on the backrest. She assumed Peter had already gone to bed.

She sighed heavily in discontentment and sat on the couch next to Sirius. The last thing she wanted to do was go back up to her dormitory, not until Alice was asleep, at least. She didn't want her to have to the satisfaction of being right.

_**When I see your smile  
Tears roll down my face I can't replace  
And now that I'm stronger I've figured out  
How this world turns cold and breaks through my soul  
And I know I'll find inside me I can be the one **_

"Isn't that hurting your head?" she asked as she glanced in Sirius' direction. He did a summersault off the couch, nearly kicking Lily's head in the process.

"Nope," he replied, looking up at her from the floor. He suddenly realized that she looked unhappy.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she replied, "have you done you homework?"

Sirius could tell that she was desperately trying to change the subject, let it go, and began laughing in response.

"I'll take that as a no.."

Her opinion about returning to the Girl's Dormitory changed as she saw James enter the Common Room.

Suddenly this was the last place she wanted to be.

_**I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up for you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all  
Even if saving me sends me to heaven**_

"Hey," James greeted them as they walked into the room.

"Hi," Lily muttered, quietly.

"Prongs!" Sirius replied, enthusiastically, as he rose from the floor and tackled James.

"Umph!" James exclaimed as he was knocked to the ground. He began gasping for breath when he felt all of Sirius' weight on top of him. Sirius sat on his chest, grinning.

"Can't.. breathe.." James wheezed; Sirius was cutting off his air supply.

When James realized that Sirius wasn't planning to release him any time soon, he began calling Lily for help. Lily rolled her eyes, grumbled something about them being immature, and left the room, running up to the stairs to the Girl's Dormitories and slamming the door shut upon arrival.

They both watched, silently, and then looked at each other. Sirius finally climbed off of James, and reached his hand out to help him up.

"What's her problem?" he asked, as James grabbed his hand and lifted himself off the floor. James chuckled and began explaining.

_**It's okay, it's okay, it's okay  
Seasons are changing  
And waves are crashing  
And stars are falling all for us  
Days grow longer and nights grow shorter  
I can show you I'll be the one**_

Lily felt horrible throughout the next day, but she suffered through it. Her classes seemed extremely tedious; Transfiguration, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Lunch, Charms and her last class, Potions. She sighed with relief when the last class was finally dismissed. She immediately ran to her tree-- her sanctuary.

As she approached the tree, she saw James already sitting there, causing her to stop, abuptly.

_**I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up for you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all  
Even if saving you sends me to heaven **_

"I knew you'd come here," he said, standing up. It seemed as if he had been waiting there for a while.

"I really don't want to talk to you now," she replied angrily, turning around. James grabbed her aim as she began to walk away, holding her firmly in place.

"What's wrong, Lily?" he asked, pulling her around so she was facing him, "Please don't tell me you're back to disliking me."

Lily began struggling against him, trying to pull her arm out of his grip.

"No. Just please let me go!"

"Lily, what's wrong?" James repeated, gripping her arm even tighter. He didn't need an answer, he knew well enough what was bothering her.

"Ow! James, let go!"

"Talk to me!" He waiting a few moments, and when she didn't respond, he continued, "Caitlin told me."

Lily could feel the tears begin to form beneath her eyes, and she struggled to hold them back. She was failing, miserably, and she finally realized that she had nothing left to lose.  
"Lily, why didn't you tell me?" James asked.

"Because I'm too late," she sniffled in reply. James shook his head.

"No.." he replied, firmly, "you're not."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, confused.

He sighed, "I'm not dating Caitlin, I never was. I just wanted to see if you'd care."

Lily's tears finally slowed down as her emotion changed from upset to furious.

"James Potter! That was the lowest, most horrible thing you have ever done. You are completely inconsiderate and cruel!" she exclaimed, hitting his chest repeatedly with the palm of her hand as she spoke.

_**Use me as you will  
Pull my strings just for a thrill  
And I know I'll be okay  
Though my skies are turning gray **_

"You did care, didn't you?" James replied, softly, grabbing her wrists again to protect himself from her abuse, but ignoring her insults.

"I.. no!" she replied as she stopped struggling.

"Lily.."

"Please just let me go," she said, calmly.

James released her wrists, put both of his hands on her cheeks and captured her lips with his.

_**'Cause youre my, you're my  
My true love, my whole heart  
Please don't throw that away  
'Cause I'm here for you  
Please don't walk away  
Please tell me you'll stay**_

After a few seconds, James pulled away from her.

"Forgive me?" he asked, innocently. Lily bit her lip and looked down.

"James, I don't kn--"

James interrupted her with another kiss. Lily's eyes closed as she slowly raised her arms to put them around the back of his neck.

When they finally pulled away for air, he repeated his question.

"Do you forgive me?"

"Yes," she replied, simply.

And she did.

_**I will never let you fall  
I'll stand up for you forever  
I'll be there for you through it all  
Even if saving you sends me to heaven **_

**A/N: ** This has been reposted. I noticed a small mistake that must have occurred upon copying and pasting it into Microsoft Word. Usually, I don't correct mistakes, because I learn from them, but the story made no sense, so I felt I had to. I apologize for the inconvenience .

As always, I appreciate reviews. And as for the suggestion to use the song 'If Everyone Cared', great minds must think alike because it's already been done. That's the next chapter, which has been completed.


	6. If Everyone Cared

Winter break started just a few days later. As usual, most students opted to return home for the holiday, and that included Lily -- to James' disappointment. She had apparently previously committed to be home for the holidays upon returning to Hogwarts in September. James could care less about what she had promised her parents, it had been less than four hours since she had left, and he was already missing her. In fact, he had missed her since she pulled away from their goodbye hug to board the train. Alright, in all honesty, he began missing her when she told him she was leaving the day before.

James wasn't the only one who wished she stayed, Sirius was suddenly begining to realize that the only thing worse than having to hear James obsess over how glad he was to finally have her, was having to suffer through him obsessing over how much he missed her. He sighed in agony; during this particular Saturday afternoon, James was comparing her eyes to fire and her hair to the stars. Or maybe it was the other way around; he wasn't sure. Truth be told, he wasn't listening, nor did he care. 

_**From underneath the trees, we watch the sky   
Confusing stars with satellites  
I never dreamed that you'd be mine  
But here we are, we're here tonight **_

"And the way her hair shines in the moonlight--" James continued, sighing into his pillow.

"Bloody hell, Prongs!" Sirius interrupted, angrily, "I can't take it anymore!" 

"What?" he asked, innocently, sounding somewhat dazed. He was quite obviously day-dreaming, most likely about Lily's 'firey hair'. Sirius groaned; he was about ready to toss Lily _into _a fire, maybe then James would give it a rest.

"Stop obsessing," Peter chimed in, agreeing with Sirius.

"I'm not obsessing!" James exclaimed in defense.

"Lies!" Sirius accused. He jumped up so he was standing on his bed before continuing.

"I couldn't sleep last night because you were moaning Lily's name in your sleep. Oh, Lily, Lily," he imitated, putting his hand to his heart, dramatically, "Where for art thou, Lily?!"

Peter and James watched; Peter in amusement, James in annoyance, as Sirius moved his hand from heart to his forehead and collapsed backwards onto the bed. He then proceeded to imitate regurgitation. 

_**Singing Amen, I, I'm alive  
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive**_

"Hilarious," James muttered angrily, clearly unimpressed with Sirius' mockery of his love life.

"I bet Moony agrees with me, don't you, Moony?" Sirius lifted his head to look over at Remus, who was lying on his stomach, in his bed, with the covers pulled over his head. He groaned painfully in response.

"Aww, what's wrong, Reemy?" Sirius cooed as he hopped up and darted to Remus' bedside.

Remus groaned again and rolled over, clutching his pillow against is stomach in an attempt to relieve the pain.

"Fuh mu ti'gh," Peter mumbled. His mouth was filled with cheese that he had snuck from the kitchen. Oh, how he loved his cheese.

Sirius looked at him in confusion, "Huh?"

Peter, realizing that Sirius couldn't hear him, attempted to swallow the food in his mouth before continuing. Sirius assumed that he had swallowed to quickly because he ended up rolling on his bed in a fit of coughs. 

"Full moon's tonight," James repeated for Peter, who was still coughing.

"Already?" Sirius sighed. Full moons always drained him of his energy, and it took quite a bit of energy to look as gorgeous as he did. He could only imagine what it did to Remus. Sirius put his hand on Remus' back in an attempt to comfort him.

_**If everyone cared and nobody cried  
If everyone loved and nobody lied  
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride  
Then we'd see the day when nobody died **_

Sirius was suddenly struck with an idea. He slowly walked to the foot of Remus' bed and began shuffling through his trunk.

"What are you doing?" Peter asked. He had finally stopped coughing and already resumed inhaling his cheese.

Sirius ignored his question as he continued his search. He eventually became frustrated and began tossing items aside, making a mess of Remus' belongings. As his books fell the floor with a loud, 'thump', Remus slowly opened his eyes.

"Sirius..." he growled, angrily.

Sirius chose not to answer, instead he began talking to himself.

"It's got to be in here somewhere," he muttered, quietly.

"Aha!" Sirius eventually exclaimed, pulling out a bar of chocolate. 

"Here," he said as he walked closer to Remus, who opened his eyes again, just long enough to see what Sirius had made such a fuss to obtain.

"Ugh," he moaned, rolling over so he back was now towards Sirius.

"Come on, Moony, you know it makes you feel better."

Remus sighed, knowing Sirius was right. He rolled back over and grudgingly took the chocolate from Sirius' hands, despite the fact that his stomach was too upset for him to even want to think about anything edible. He slowly sat up in his bed, with the help of Sirius who proped his pillow up behind his back. He began to unwrap the bar of chocolate and took a small bite off the end.

_**And I'm singing,   
A, Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive  
Amen I, Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive**_

Within the next few hours, Remus was beginning to feel better, but the marauders knew it wouldn't last long; there was only less than an hour left until sundown, after all.

Remus sighed unhappily and buried his nose in his book, continuing to take random bites out of his chocolate every so often.

"How're you feeling?" James asked hopefully from the window sill. He had spent the past twenty minutes gazing into the lake below them, thinking about the events that nightfall would bring. He always dreaded the full moon, but Remus was one of his best friends, and he'd always be there for him without hesitation.

"Horrible," Remus replied from his bed. James looked toward him and smiled sympathetically. Remus angrily slammed his book closed and tossed it across the room in frustration. It hit the bathroom door with a 'thwack', and fell straight to the floor.

"I'm going to go now," he said, "I'll see you there?"

James nodded, knowing that he was referring to the Shrieking Shack. Remus slowly stood up from his bed and walked to the door, dragging his feet in the process.

Once Remus was out the door and out of earshot, James turned to Peter.

"Go and keep an eye on him," he instructed. Peter nodded silently and darted out the door to catch up with him.

_**And in the air the fireflies  
Our only light to paradise  
Would show the world that they were wrong   
And teach them all to sing along **_

James sighed and banged the back of his head repeatedly against the wall.

"Don't lose the last few brain cells you've got," Sirius jokingly warned as he entered the room. He had gone down to the common room for a bit of fun, no doubt to mess with the few remaining first years. James chuckled and sighed again, banging his head one final time before resting it against the wall.

"You ready to go?" James asked, standing it up from the window sill. Sirius nodded, grabbing the Marauder's Map in case of an emergency.

James and Sirius slowly made their way through the castle, which was relatively empty, with the exception of a few Ravenclaws they passed along the way. 

As they reached the entrance and stepped outside, James could see that the sun was beginning to set. By the look of the sky, he guessed that they had about twenty minutes until sunset.

They silently made their way to the Whomping Willow. Sirius sighed, hesitating as they approached it.

"I hate this part," he commented. James nodded in agreement.

The pair quickly ran into the entrance of the tunnel near the trunk of the tree, narrowly avoiding the swinging branches that came crashing down behind them. 

_**Singing Amen, I, I'm alive  
Singing A, Amen, I, I'm alive **_

Halfway through the tunnel, James heard shuffling behind them. He quickly spun around, on reflex, pulling his want out in the process.

"What are you doing here, Snivillus?!" James exclaimed angrily, knowing he didn't have the time or the patients to deal with him.

"Black told me to come down here earlier today. I was a bit skeptical at first, because, well, it is Black after all. I should have known that it was you that would be up to something," Snape replied.

He then looked past James to Sirius, "Thanks for the tip, Black." 

James redirected his attention to Sirius, giving him a furious glare. As he moved to turn back to Snape, he found himself being pushed aside as Severus walked past.

After regaining his balance from being pushed into the wall, James quickly followed behind Severus as he walked past Sirius. Because Sirius stepped to the side as he stomped by, Severus left him untouched; however, when James followed, he elbowed his friend in the stomach, causing Sirius to double over in pain. James ignored his cry of agony and stepped in front Severus.

"There's nothing up there," he defended, "be a good boy, run along and play with your chemistry set."

Severus' face scrunched in anger as he attempted to move James out of the way for the second time. This time, however, James held his ground, preventing the smaller boy from getting around him. After several attempts, Severus pulled his wand out, ready to hex him.

"Your dear old friend disagrees with you. Move."

James refused to budge, instead he looked past Severus to Sirius, who was just beginning to stand up as the pain in his gut subsided.

"Sirius, tell Snivillus there's nothing up there," James demanded. Sirius rolled his eyes, seemingly unhappy with James' previous assault.

_**If everyone cared and nobody cried  
If everyone loved and nobody lied   
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride  
Then we'd see the day when nobody died **_

"James is right," he replied unenthusiastically, his voice slightly dripping with sarcasm, "There's -- There's nothing up there." James shot him another glare.

"No! He's lying!" James exclaimed as Snape looked at him with disbelief.

James, in frustration with his friend, let his guard down for a moment, which resulted in him being slammed into the wall of the tunnel once again. James groaned in pain as his back came in contact with the hard surface. After a moment of pain, he regained his thoughts. 

"Snivill--" He was suddenly interrupted by a loud howl that echoed through the walls, causing all three boys to stop in their tracks.

_**And as we lie beneath the stars  
We realize how small we are  
If they could love like you and me   
Imagine what the world could be**_

Snape's eyes widened with curiosity as the howl reached his ears. The thought of James and Sirius were suddenly forced out of his mind and he sped up, moving closer to the cause of the noise.

James' gripped his wand tightly; he didn't want to resort to magic, but it looked like he had no other choice. He raised his hand, pointing his wand at Snape, before muttering to himself. Snape's only response was to fall to the ground, unconscious, his head resting just inches away from James' feet.

"Oh, what'd you have to go in do that for?" Sirius moaned as he moved closer to James. James ignored his question, focusing on his anger.

"What were you thinking?!" He exclaimed angrily, shoving Sirius shoulder. 

"What?" Sirius asked innocently, as he bent down to get a closer look at Snape.

"If he can't mind his own business, he deserved it," he snickered, pinching Snape's cheek. 

James rolled his eyes in disbelief, "I don't like him either, but you have no right to lead him into a death trap." 

Sirius pulled away from Snape's face, standing up to look at James.

"He wouldn't have died, he would've just gotten… roughed up a bit," he defended.

"You don't know that," James responded as another loud howl erupted through the tunnel. He looked down at Snape's lifeless body, and then back to Sirius. Deciding he could yell at Sirius later, he began focusing on what to do with the unconscious boy lying before him.

James pointed his wand at Snape for the second time that night, and cast another spell. 

"Wingardium Leviosa," he recited, causing Snape's body to levitate, "Just help me get him to Dumbledore." 

Sirius followed, unhappily, as they began to exit in the direction they came. 

_**If everyone cared and nobody cried  
If everyone loved and nobody lied  
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride  
Then we'd see the day when nobody died**_


End file.
